Gasification Asia Pacific 2011 set to deliver a lot more than hot air

Gasification Asia Pacific (GAP) 2011, the international conference on gasification, will take place in Beijing (China) from 8 to 10 June 2011. GAP 2011 will play host to technology workshops and plenary sessions, where heads of companies and institutions will present the performance – in economic, technical and environmental terms – of existing and planned gasification units.

GAP 2011, due to take place in Beijing (China) in early June of this year, will focus on gasification – a process that converts biomass, organic waste, coal or any carbonaceous material into synthetic gas (otherwise known as ‘syngas’). This gas mixture can then be efficiently converted into electricity and petroleum products.

Serge Périneau, President of Gasification Asia Pacific, says: "We are very pleased with how GAP 2011 has been received. The increasingly effective and clean process of gasification will provide solutions to the formidable challenges currently facing the energy sector."

The Asia-Pacific region is currently the most active in terms of gasification, with 140 units in operation, with another 10 units under construction, and with several research units close to industrial capacity. Given the current geopolitical climate in the Middle East and the environmental situation in Japan, gasification is becoming increasingly popular in the energy sector.

More than 250 gasification units are in operation across the world: they are mainly used to produce electricity. These units offer yields that are substantially higher than that attained by conventional power plants. In terms of environmental impact, the CO2 emitted in the course of the process is separated from other gaseous effluents, which allows it to be processed at a minimal cost.

Gasification offers many advantages, such as the ability to use a diverse array of raw materials as inputs; a flexible choice in the type of energy produced (electricity, fuels and other hydrocarbons); a high-yield electricity production; and, finally, the by-production of CO2, which is separated from the other effluents in clean and cost-effective manner.

Gasification is used in a number of industrial applications. Firstly, it is used to generate electricity via the Integrated Gasification Cycle (IGCC), with a similar capacity to nuclear units. IGCC units are in operation across Asia (in China, Japan and Singapore), in the USA, and in Europe (in the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain).

Secondly, gasification is used in the gas-to-liquids (GTL) refinery process, which converts natural gas into liquid fuel. This process is already in use in South Africa and in Qatar (in the Persian Gulf).

Gasification is also used to turn biomass and organic waste into second-generation fuel or electricity.

Lastly, gasification is used to produce liquid fuels (coal to liquids), natural gas (substitute natural gas), as well as chemical products that are generated from coal (or from a combination of coal and biomass). This process is mainly relied upon in China, South Africa and the USA.

In addition to surface gasification plants, scientists have developed the technology known as underground coal gasification (UCG), where oxygen is added to coal underground, in order to produce syngas. The advantage of UCG, which is undertaken in Azerbaijan and Australia, is that it can be performed in mines that are inaccessible to humans with a limited investment.

About GAP 2011

Gasification Asia Pacific (GAP) is an international conference on gasification, covering all its aspects – technical, economic and environmental.

GAP 2011 will take place from 8 to 10 June 2011 at the Great Wall Sheraton Hotel in Beijing (China). This year’s conference will feature an entire session on underground coal gasification (UCG), as well as a variety of workshops and plenary sessions.

The GAP 2011 conference is sponsored by the World Energy Council, the World Coal Association, World CTL and the Chinese National Centre for International Co-operation in Work Safety (NCICS).

For a detailed programme and other practical information, please go to: